GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

Moro Blood Oranges
Grown by Shaun in Reedley, California

We hold out on Moro Blood Oranges until they showcase the full spectrum of flavor—mild temperatures before the new year meant we saw a delay this season. But after a few weeks of cooler nights, Shaun's Moros are closer to full maturity, developing the intense pigmentation we've been waiting for. The flavor is there now: fragrant and layered, with pronounced berry notes cutting through the deep red flesh.

Moros owe their distinctive color to a high concentration of anthocyanins, which deepen to near-purple at peak season. The flesh carries a berry-like character balanced by sherbet-sharp acidity that keeps the high sugar in check. It's a blood orange that tastes as saturated as it looks.

LATE

Delica Pumpkin
Grown by Oscar in Mantua, Italy

Oscar’s Delicas have had a typically strong year, despite a smaller harvest. They are grown in open fields, where clay soil releases nutrients to the plants very slowly over the course of their growth.

Despite the challenges, Oscar has poured the same care into growing and curing his pumpkins, producing fruit with unmatched sugar levels and concentrated flavor. In Sermide, Mantua, mineral-rich soils shaped by the ancient Po River provide the foundation for Oscar's crop. By limiting irrigation, Oscar forces the plants to reach deep into the clay, pulling nutrients that build flavor and complexity as they grow.

The final and most crucial step is the cure: up to 30 days in a wood-stove-heated barn, where the pumpkins slowly shed water, and their flavor deepens. It's a painstaking process, with real risk of loss, but one he refuses to compromise on.

This year's harvest may be smaller, but Oscar's Delica is as velvety and buttery-sweet as ever—"aiming to reach at least 13° Brix, compared to the 6–8°Bx you'll find in most pumpkins," he explains. A true testament to his pursuit of flavor over yield.